Investment Rating - The report maintains a BUY rating on ZTE with a revised target price of HK$38.6, down from HK$42.0, reflecting a potential upside of 51.8% from the current price of HK$25.42 [1][3]. Core Insights - ZTE reported FY25 results showing a revenue increase of 10.4% YoY to RMB134 billion, which was 7.7% below estimates, while net profit fell 33.3% YoY to RMB5.6 billion, significantly missing estimates by 30% [1][2]. - The gross profit margin (GPM) declined sharply to 30.3%, down 7.7 percentage points from 37.9% in FY24, primarily due to a higher mix of Enterprise & Government (E&G) sales [1][2]. - Revenue from the E&G segment more than doubled to RMB37 billion in FY25, with AI compute revenue growing 150% YoY, although margins in this segment also faced pressure [9][1]. - Carrier revenue declined by 10.6% YoY in FY25, attributed to reduced capital expenditures by domestic telcos following the 5G investment cycle, while overseas carrier revenue showed resilience with double-digit growth [9][1]. - The consumer segment remained stable, with revenue growth of 4.4% YoY to RMB34 billion, supported by handset sales [9][1]. Financial Summary - FY25 revenue is projected at RMB133.9 billion for FY26, with expected growth rates of 11.3% in FY26 and 13.0% in FY27 [2][10]. - The net profit for FY26 is estimated to be RMB6.5 billion, reflecting a recovery of 15.6% YoY after a significant drop in FY25 [2][10]. - The gross margin is expected to decline further to approximately 29% in FY26 as the revenue mix evolves [9][1]. - The report forecasts E&G revenue growth of around 30% in FY26, indicating strong demand in the AI server market [9][1].
中兴通讯：Accelerating compute power but decelerating margins-20260309